MITACS Programme: research scholarships at the University of Montreal for UNIL PhD students

The MITACS programme enables UNIL PhD students to complete a research stay of 3 to 6 months at the University of Montreal (UofM). All fields of research are eligible. A stay in an institution affiliated to the University of Montreal (e.g. HEC Montreal, Polytechnic School of Montreal) is not possible.

For such a research stay, a scholarship of 6,000 Canadian dollars is available, regardless of the length of the stay. Half of this sum comes from MITACS, a Canadian not-for-profit organisation, which has signed an agreement with the University of Montreal, and the other half from UNIL. In total, 5 scholarships are awarded to UNIL PhD students.

• No enrolment fee is payable to the University of Montreal 
• Stay in one of the leading research universities in the world
• Enlargement of the professional network in a new scientific and cultural environement 
• Exchange programme student status and access to student services
• Most of the stay is financed by the scholarship.

• Be enrolled as a PhD student at UNIL and remain enrolled throughout the research stay at UofM
• Have a research project while wishing to benefit from the expertise of a researcher from the UofM
• The curriculum attended at UNIL must allow the PhD student to stay at the University of Montreal for 3 to 6 months
• Find a research professor at the University of Montreal who agrees to invite you and supervise your research:
  • contact your PhD supervisor at UNIL to see if he·she can put you in touch with a research professor at the University of Montreal
  • refer to the procedure to be followed to enable you to find a supervisor at the University of Montreal
• Payment of transport costs to and living expenses (accommodation and food) in Montreal; these costs will be largely covered by the scholarship
• PhD students will be required to conclude a specific, separate agreement with the UofM (provisions relating to intellectual property resulting from the research activities and the publication and development of such activities)
• Obligation to take out a group health insurance plan for the duration of the stay and to pay the premiums
• Compilation of a report for the attention of MITACS and of Matthias Buess within 4 weeks after the end of the stay (template report available from MITACS) 
• Completion of the application forms (see below).

The following schedule applies to a stay commencing in February/March 2021 at the earliest.  

• Call for applications: 2 July 2020 
• Deadline for submitting the application forms: 15 September 2020
• Decision to be expected by MITACS: November 2020.

It takes approximately 16 weeks from the time the complete file is submitted and the start of the stay at the University of Montreal. The application forms can be sent to us before the September 15 deadline, which would allow you to start the research stay before February/March 2021.

Please take note of the important information below before completing the application form. The forms in the "application package" must be sent electronically, completed and signed to Mr Matthias Buess.

• Please read carefully the preliminary information in the program guide (form 0 of the application form)
• In the forms to be filled out, you must describe your project during your research stay at the University of Montreal. Do not describe your thesis in general. It must be consistent with the calendar
• The "Research award adjudication guide" edited by MITACS can be consulted here
• The stay must be entirely devoted to research – this must be reflected in the forms
• This is a full-time research stay. Therefore, do not mention courses and seminars that will be taken during the stay at UofM
• After the official decision made by MITACS, you have one year to start the research stay 
• The different forms can be completed either in French or in English (see the respective version of this website)
• A person already in Canada cannot apply for a MITACS scholarship unless he or she returns to his or her country and then departs again for the research stay at the University of Montreal.